AJ Francis is one of a handful of former football players who have moved on to professional wrestling and are currently at the top of their game in the sport.
Francis played in nine NFL games for the Miami Dolphins, Seattle Seahawks and Washington Redskins before training to become a professional wrestler and eventually earning a shot with WWE. He had two stints with WWE before being released and landing with Major League Wrestling and Total Nonstop Action (TNA).
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George Kittle in the audience for WrestleMania 39 at SoFi Stadium on April 1, 2023 in Inglewood, California. (Nicole Single/Getty Images)
As a former WWE competitor, Francis knows the company is bringing in big names for the event. Lawrence Taylor, Rob Gronkowski and George Kittle are among them.
Current WWE star The Miz has opened up about the possibility of Jason Kelce doing something in WWE, perhaps even participating in WrestleMania 40 in some way, given that it's at the Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. He told TMZ Sports that Kelce would be “dangerous in a WWE ring.”
“I could see a lot of these guys doing one-off things,” Francis told Fox News Digital in a recent interview. “…But this life on the road? Football players aren't ready for that.”
Francis, who went by the name Top Dolla in WWE, explained that while football training is physically taxing, he is on the road for most of his year while in professional wrestling.
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Travis Kelce #87 of the Kansas City Chiefs celebrates with his brother Jason Kelce after a 17-10 victory against the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship Game at M&T Bank Stadium on January 28, 2024 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Rob Carr/Getty Images)
“I’m not home 20 days a month as a wrestler,” he said. “I leave Thursday, I have a show Friday, I have a show Saturday, I have a show Sunday and if I'm lucky I get to go home Monday. It's just a completely lifestyle different.
“The lifestyle of a full-time professional wrestler – you gotta love that bastard. People don't like him. They don't like him. I love it. Yeah, (Jason) Kelce might I a match at WrestleMania this year. I'm 100% sure he could do it. He could bring Travis and Taylor Swift – I'm 100% sure they could do it.
“But would you be on RAW the next day? Would you be on SmackDown on Friday? Would you be on the (next) pay-per-view? It's just a different lifestyle.”
There's no guarantee that the Kelces would show up in Philly or Cleveland to take part in the WWE festivities. But both NFL stars showed off some great skills on the mic with speeches after the AFC Championships and Super Bowl parade respectively.
Washington defensive coordinator Greg Manusky, left tackle and defensive tackle AJ Francis (69) chat happily while walking off the field after the Washington Redskins lost to the Cincinnati Bengals 23-17 in a preseason game at FedEx Field in Landover MD, August 27, 2017. . (John McDonnell/Washington Post via Getty Images)
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For Francis, he is scheduled to face Alex Kane at Major League Wrestling's War Chamber on Friday in Tampa, Florida.
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